Reminiscing...

I have this terrific journal started from a class taught by Kristen Steiner / Adventures in Italy.  I recently unearthed more ephemera!  Time to add more pages…and schedule another visit….

Itinerary for Orvieto

I don't know about you...but I have memory issues....

especially when traveling and experiencing so many new things in a day...

I definitely wanted to have a journal page of our itinerary on the Adventure in Italy...

I thought Kristin's method for a pocket page would be perfect....

a Journal within a Journal...

Did some printing on transparencies...sewing...gluing...painting...

crackling...

inking...stamping...

All the good stuff we mixed media peeps live for...

Made a separate little travel journal for my pocket...

Two pages for each day...Lots of journaling to do....

and I can always add more...

VOILA.... Finito for now....

Time for some journaling....

And look forward to sharing the next page soon...

Madonna in Orvieto

If you wander to the end of one of the garden paths in San Lodovico ...

You will be greeted by a beautiful plaque...

On a stone wall....that's probably surrounded by roses in the spring...

Keeping watch over the pumpkins and eggplants and zucchini and one stalk of corn

 growing in the fall garden...

Along with feathered friends who choose to sing....

Some may rest.....

 Or Pray....

But all will be....

Blessed...

Illuminations....

Light Bulb moment...
How about a watercolors and salt background....?

Choose a pretty stencil/mask....
(This one's by Prima and comes in a set of 5)

"Frost" with Light Molding Paste...
I used Golden..
I have a sweet little sampler kit of gels, etc that I got at "Michaels" (clip your coupons ladies!)







Get Lost in your stash of newly "acquired" Italian ephemera....add paints, inks.... always music....
Locate that lonely photo you have of an Orvieto street Lamp with beautifully scrolled metal work...vigilantly illuminating the textured architecture....cobblestone street...and strolling wanderers traveling with their shadows....

Print on transparency - flip image - add stamped text (STAZ-ON ink) and sew to train ticket...then to background paper using that gorgeous colored thread you just bought in the USA ...and don't sweat over the "wonkiness"(think "charm") of your stitches...

Sneeze, cough, blow your nose and wonder why the amount of vitamins you choke down daily that you shop for at "The Beautiful People" market (Whole Foods) and pay a ridiculous amount of money for have allowed this cold to flourish in your body...when your travel companion pal - who does not partake of such nonsense - is perfectly fine....

Focus...get back on track please and consult your trusty old book scarfed years ago from an Ohio barn for words that express your "illuminations" (1.  to supply with light.  2.  to enlighten.  3.  to clarify)  in Orvieto....

Do NOT get caught up in the "trusty old book" story while searching for words...about your experience in Orvieto...

Wistfully stare into space reminiscing about your adventure...the village, the culture, the ambiance, the food, the wine, the CHEESE - consider a travel journal page on cheese...realize you haven't eaten...

Feel Blessed...Illuminated...Inspired...

Turn off the computer and Go Live (vivere), Appreciate (apprezzare) and search for pecorino!

The 100 Fountains

Hard to believe I was in Italy only a week ago....
I spent last Sunday on an Alitalia flight that was over 10 hours...
Thank heavens for direct flights...
Didn't sleep a wink....think I watched 6 movies or so, although I couldn't tell you what they were...
Working on my Travel Journal all this week has continued to remind me of the Adventure....

I started the background with some Golden Heavy Body Acrylics....

Pushed a few colors around with my handy dandy credit card....

It dries fairly quickly, so put some elbow grease into it as watercolor paper loves to soak it up...

Used a foam stamp, brushed some gesso on....
Then merrily stamped...and...stamped some more...
(Clean stamp immediately after)


Tap fingers while waiting for the gesso to dry....
Pour a vino...or tea....or coffee....water?

Add some depth with watercolors....
Or acrylics....
Or inks...
Don't stop with one....

Get involved with glue, thread, google...
Encounter bobbin issues on the sewing machine....
Consult the manual - Toss - and page Husband...

Misspell Italian translation only to be realized after taking photos, resizing photos, etc...
Correct spelling with a handy scrap as peeling each of those clear letters off for stamping is annoying...

Pour another vino...or tea....or coffee....water?
Don't stop with one....and curse the fact that you are no longer satisfied with that $9.99 Cavit.....

Get engrossed in 15 layers of wallpaper, paint, pearl-ex, inks, oil pastels, buttons, book searching for an EXACT phrase...or hoping one will "speak" to you....

Put on your new Italian tunic and scarf...and go to dinner....wear GOOD shoes and insist your husband wear that sexy Italian shirt you picked up in the market for 5 euros....squeeeeee...

Indulge in microwave popcorn with parmesan cheese watching "True Grit" trying to figure out what the heck Jeff Bridges is saying....
Sneak off to bed with your ipad determined to reach level 8 on "bejeweled"...
Sleep fitfully thanks to your "Alitalia cold"....consider tossing a pillow at the dog whose "guarding" the house from the cat who is outdoors meowing to be let in....feel pity for your bed partner...

Finally decide to just get up...clean the kitchen...make coffee that tastes nothing like the deliciousness you had a week ago...sneeze...cough...go smoke a cigarette...check emails, blog, facebook...and decide you are NOT getting out of your PJ's...may not EVEN wash your face and you WILL finish this page....
After greek yogurt with blueberries...because you are starving (why does this happen when you eat late at night???)....

Be HappY!....Finish Page.....Provide link to Villa D'Este and the 100 Fountains...Encourage everyone to visit...

Consider a shower at 6pm....
Wonder how late Jo-Ann's is open because I'm not sure I can cut that Italian lace I bought....
Post to Blog...Facebook...Facebook Group...

And Pour another vino...or tea....or coffee....water?

The Path

Even though the dust bunnies beckon, I'm continuing to work on my Travel Journal....

Quinacridones, tissue paper, molding paste and stencil to start.......





I knew what I wanted my focal point to be when I started.....rare as that is....

A photo from Tivoli gardens in Italy that doesn't come close to capturing the essence of that path....it was long...so full of sights, sounds, smells...beautiful and magical.

It got complicated thinking about the vision and layers of construction involved....
The maintenance....nurturing....discipline....persistence....

The back breaking, sweaty diligence.....

That resulted in this exquisitely beautiful path....exuding tranquility....peace....appreciation.....respect....

It inspires me....helps me...soothes me....and encourages me to stay steady on my path....

A Textured Pocket Page

Oh - I wish you could feel this page!

I started with paint, then used a stencil and slathered Liquitex white opaque flakes on one side of the page.....
It dries translucent, so I worked on highlighting with paints and acrylic inks.

Another piece of the stencil was used with light molding paste, which dries white....popped with color thanks to Adirondack alcohol inks

The "pocket" started as piece of an envelope...
I "pushed" paint with a credit card (Sap Green Hue by Golden) - let dry - used more light molding paste - let dry - colored with adirondack inks.
Added some trims with the sewing machine (yes, that's from a friend's skirt) - sewed the sides and bottom onto my orignal page, glued a scrap on and wrote "observation" in Italian with my favorite opaque white pen (Gelly Roll by Sakura I think)...

A new home for my sweet notebook made by my sweet teacher, Kristi Steiner, as part of our "Adventures in Italy" package...

We toted our notebooks around for sketching and note taking in the streets of Orvieto...over cappucinos...or in Etruscan caves...I noticed I'd written down several vino brands from tastings we participated in.....

There she will rest for a bit and keep my company while I continue to work on Travel Journal pages....
Till I take her out for a sketching date in her newAmerican surroundings....
There will for sure be more notes on vino;)














I invite you to join me and link up with Paint Party Friday to share Paint!

Be Brave Navigators

Adding to my Travel Journal and sharing Adventures from Italy...

Little by Little...

An incredible journey with so much inspiration....

We had to Be Brave and learn to navigate Rome!
As we were staying near Villa Borghese...

We had to learn where and how to buy a bus ticket - (interesting when your knowledge of the language is minimal) to get to some nitty gritty Rome sights....

The Spanish Steps

Trevi Fountain

Amazing, si???

So many stories.....

Working one page at a time....

And am looking forward to sharing....

Ciao;)